Over the last number of years increasing environment problems and climatic changes have resulted is an increasing demand for continuous environmental economic development. As a consequence the environmental area has developed into one of the most important growth sectors in Europe in spite of the weak current economic overall climate.

There has also been a sharply increased demand for environmental specialists. This demand could at first be satisfied by relative newcomers to the industry without specialist training. In the mean time occupational and university institutes reacted with the introduction of new environment courses and qualifications. At the end of 2002, 4 new specialist qualifications were introduced: sewage technology, water supply technology, pipe and river service, and water cycle technology. In Germany and other west European EU partner countries structural change in the education system has already been achieved and there is now a focus around qualitative variations. However, in the European ascension states, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, these structural changes have yet to take place.

It is the joint aim of all partners to adjust further and continued education to a uniform level in the Euro zone, in order to guarantee a better understanding among participants and to promote mobility on the European labour market. This is further facilitated by increasingly uniformity of environmental legislation in Europe taking into account the fact that environmental protection and water administration do not end at political or national boundaries, but rather must be observed in a trans-national, European context. The flood damages in the past years illustrated that the unification pressure of the acting participants is enormously high.

The NEPTUN project aims to contribute to the further development of professionals in the water management field, by development of concepts, Curricula and learning content. This will improve both European collaboration and the transferability of educational qualifications (Further education qualification, picture 1) in the involved countries.

Together with responsible national and European organizations, a certification process will be initiated. structure of system